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Trade and Commerce
“In Tyr, one maltreated but better-equipped slave accomplishes twice what his well-fed counterparts do in cities like Urik and Balic. The only reason for this is that his tools are better . . . In war, the advantages of metal are also plain . . . Often it army has destroyed an army five times its size that was armed with bone battle axes or even obsidian-edged sabres!” — The Wanderer’s Journal Iron is Tyr’s main export. The city’s mines southwest of the city represent the exclusive source of iron for this region. The production of iron influences every aspect of life in Tyr. As such, it is carefully guarded and controlled by the government of Tyr through the templars. The sale of iron to trading houses provides needed revenue for the government. Supplemented by taxes, these funds finance city projects such as the purchase of grain and the construction of public works. The city’s coffers also provide the wages for the city guard, and enable the templars to maintain comfortable lifestyles. Tyrian craftsmen fashion the iron into tools and weapons. Iron-sheathed wagon wheels crush stones that would splinter unprotected wood. Metal-tipped spears and arrows bite deeper into flesh. Iron plowshares cut through the sun-baked soil, making it possible to raise crops in the soils around Tyr. The templars regulate exports of iron. Knowing the economic and military value of metal, they limit the amount traders from other city-states may purchase. Purchases must be approved by officials in the Bureau of Mines and Commerce. Approvals require a great deal of time and effort, but sometimes can be expedited with a bribe of, say, 10-25% of the shipment’s value. Likewise, small amounts of iron occasionally can be purchased on the black market from mine officials looking to line their own pockets. The templars also maintain a reserve of ingots to barter directly for goods needed by the city; foodstuffs, animals, obsidian, etc. By always having a ready supply, the city can often procure a greater amount of trade goods since the trade precludes the usually lengthy advance notice required for purchasing iron shipments. Trade Goods Tyr also exports large quantities of silk from its outlying plantations, harvested from luminous ishi moths raised in dark caves. Faro cactus and cotton plantations provide fiber for textiles, and skilled craftsmen create ceramics and glass from the vast alluvial sands common to the valley. The city’s primary imports consist of fruit, wood, and rice. Although all the major merchant houses have emporiums or agents in Tyr, only a few companies actually base their headquarters there. Not all goods produced in the city are for export. A variety of local craftsmen ply their wares and services in Tyr’s sprawling tradesmen’s districts. Strolling down Caravan Way, a visitor to the city will be assailed by local vendors selling glassware and ceramics, colorful silk and linens, and finely crafted weapons and armor of chitin or bone. Guides, hunters, and beast handlers are readily available for hire as are unskilled laborers of all sorts. A few inns and winehouses offering food and drink to weary travelers compete for space with the varied artisans of caravan way. Markets Like many cities, Tyr also has an Elven Market. Although the nomadic elves cannot be presumed to have a “permanent” base in the city, the market itself remains a constant in the urban landscape. Only the merchants change. The bazaar of Tyr lies inside the city walls. Nearly any commodity produced in the region can be found in the Elven Market—for a price. Buyer beware, however, for the elves are notorious for selling inferior goods at exorbitant prices, and swindlers and pickpockets plague the storekeepers and customers of the Elven Market. If a little dishonest business is desired, the elves are ready to provide contraband goods and services to discriminating buyers— again, for a price. The stadium has become the newest marketplace in Tyr. Small traders, caravaneers, local craftsmen, and some elves from tribes without holdings in the Elven Market make up the bulk of the sellers. People come from around the city to shop the stadium market, which provides a market for sellers without their own shops. While almost anything can be bought in Tyr, prices of goods vary greatly throughout the city. Honest tradesmen will generally ask book value or slightly higher for their goods. Those along the manicured avenues of the noble quarters will charge more. Characters shopping in the elven or stadium markets will find vendors more eager to bargain. Goods and services in these venues can often be had at a discount. This may be due to an item being “second-hand,” or possibly stolen. This situation is known as a “gray market,” and the vendors are referred to as “gray traders.” Elven raiders, for example, can sell their ill-gotten gains for less, because they didn’t pay for them, they stole them. What’s more, it is in their best interest to sell their booty quickly in order to avoid discovery and possible retaliation from the trading houses whose caravans they plunder. A “black market” deals in contraband. Items like spell components, iron, water, and slaves are traded on the black market. In Tyr, the most common place to obtain illegal goods is the Elven Market. Characters trading on the black market must constantly be on guard for dirty deals and double crosses. Prices run high and so does the risk of imprisonment or death. Another body in the alleys of Tyr won’t raise any eyebrows. There are no rules and no higher authorities to appeal to in the dark alleys of Tyr where the shadow traders dwell.